Vintage French Sheep Pillow Tutorial

 I seem to be on a textile project roll lately, so here goes another one…my French sheep pillow! I just love sheep…they are so French to me! After all, Joan of Arc started out as a shepherdess and Marie Antoinette tended her flock of perfumed sheep when she played at being a shepherdess! So I had been on the hunt for the perfect sheep graphic and finally found it…

  …here at Vintage Printable, where there are tons of gorgeous vintage graphics free for the printing! I added the text to the graphic…Le Mouton…French for the sheep. I have already flipped it for you to use as an iron-on transfer. I knew I wanted to make the pillow using Osnaburg, a great less-expensive linen look-alike (only $2.50 a yard at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon!) and that I wanted to add jute piping.

Baby Kitty had serious reservations about the jute piping, however, and it seems he was right! There’s a reason I couldn’t find it ready-made in the fabric stores…it’s so hard to work with!

I did finally manage to make my own using some left-over burlap and cording…sooo…free! Then I started to work on the pillow itself.

First, I cut my fabric 1 inch longer and wider than my pillow form…a down insert from Goodwill for about $3.00…then I…
1. folded it in fourths to find the center and marked it with a pencil
2. printed the "Le Mouton" graphic on an iron-on transfer sheet
3. trimmed the transfer to the size I wanted, found the center of it on the back and centered it on the fabric
4. ironed on the image following the directions on the package.

 And voilà! Next, I pinned the cording to the fabric on the right side, with the cut edges together and the piping facing inside, and then stitched it down. I used a zipper foot so I could get close.

Then I added the back of the pillow, right sides together, and stitched through all thicknesses, leaving it open at the bottom to insert the pillow form. Note that I have added some sheeting under the Osnaburg since I was concerned that it might not be thick enough. And finally, I hand stitched the bottom of the pillow to close it.

And here is the final product! I like the way it turned out and, in spite of the aggravation, the jute cording does add some contrast and texture that I really like! Hmmm…now maybe a cow pillow to keep it company?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures on Mondays
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Sizzle into Summer
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voilà! French Inspiration on Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!